006 - wrecks

Viylat woke up in the small, overcrowded shop. Around her, too many objects were precariously balanced. It felt as if, at any instant, the entire shop could come crashing down. Plus, the entire shop simply smelled of old. Everything was dark, old, and crowded.

She didn't know why she was here. She didn't even know how she got here. Glancing around she found out that she wasn't the only person in the shop, but somehow it seemed like she was the only person in the world.

Confusion began to sweep over Viylat now. Why was she here? No really, how did she get here? Now these ambiguities were bothering her, and she didn't know what to do. She glanced to the nearest person, the shopkeeper, a very old Jewish man. Viylat figured that this man would be of no help to her--he would be stingy with his help.

So what could she do? Inspecting herself, she realized writing on the inside in her arm. The writing was foreign, strange, not hers, although she did realize at this point that she couldn't really remember exactly what hers was like.

The writing said, "find the book, find the answer." She looked around. Among the various trinkets, maps, and marionette puppets, there was also a seemingly endless supply of unorganized stacks of books.

Viylat set out to start inspecting the books, even though she had no particular idea as to what she was looking for. She was looking for the book, the book with the answer. She searched for hours, firstly just glancing at the titles on the spines, then flipping through the books. Growing more and more desperate she grabbed several books and attempted to wring them out, looking for anything that could be an answer.

Several times, the old shopkeeper approached her and asked her if he could help her find anything. He may appear old, he said, but he knew his inventory very well in his memory and could help her find whatever she was looking for. Viylat, for her part, continued to just answer that she was browsing, and that she needed no help.

Eventually, the old man told her that the shop was closing. She had no choice, and so she left. She planned on returning the next day, but over the night, the shop was burned down. Arson was suspected, but the police were never able to find the perpetrator, and Viylat was never able to find the answer.